How to Get From Malaga Airport to Malaga City Centre

There are four ways you can travel from Malaga Airport to Malaga City Center:

1. Taxi
2. Train
3. Bus
4. Hire Car

The easiest way to travel from Malaga Airport to Malaga City is by taxi. The journey takes around 15 minutes and costs about €30. However, the train is much cheaper at just €1.80 per person.

The easiest way to get from Malaga Airport to Malaga City is by taxi. The taxi can pick you up outside the airport terminal and drop you off outside your hotel.

There are three ways you can get a taxi from Malaga Airport:

1. Traditional taxis from the taxi rank
2. Uber
3. Bolt

Personally, I go with Uber or Bolt (an Uber alternative) because I like to see the price upfront. A traditional taxi runs on a meter and usually costs around €5 more.

While Uber and Bolt offer the same service, they offer different prices for the same journey. That’s because both platforms sell journeys using a dynamic pricing model, which means the price is set based on the following:

1. Demand in the area
2. Number of drivers available

Given this, I recommend downloading and setting up both Uber and Bolt. Then, when you get to the airport, you can compare the prices on the two apps to see which is cheaper.

The train is the cheapest way to travel from Malaga Airport to Malaga City. The station is well-signposted and located just outside the terminal building.

From the Malaga Airport station, you can take the Renfe C1 train to Malaga city centre in just 16 minutes for €1.80.

There are two stations in Malaga City where you might want to get off:

1. Málaga María Zambrano Train Station
2. Málaga-Centro-Alameda

You can buy train tickets from machines just inside the station. However, you can also use your bank card to tap and go through the gates. You’ll then need to tap the same card again at the station’s exit gates in Malaga City.

Trains from Malaga Airport to the city start at 06:36am and end at 00:46am. Therefore, if you need to get to/from the airport between 01:00am and 06:30am, you’ll need a taxi instead.

You can also take a bus from Malaga Airport to Malaga City. However, the journey takes twice as long as the train and costs more, so I don’t recommend it.

The bus stop is well-marked just outside the airport terminal building. Buses run every 15 to 20 minutes and make several stops, taking around 30 minutes. The bus costs €3 per person, and you don’t need tickets in advance. Instead, you pay the driver as you board.

I would not recommend hiring a car solely to travel from Malaga Airport to the city. However, if you want to explore more of Costa Del Sol while in Malaga, it’s a great idea.

The car hire desks at Malaga Airport are located on the terminal’s lower level. You’ll need to take the elevator from baggage claim to level -1.

I recommend reserving a car hire in advance. That way, you can compare prices and availability. Hiring a car in Malaga starts from about €30 a day. However, the exact price varies a lot depending on:

• The type of car
• Car hire company
• Time of year
• Driver age

Of course, the cost of renting a car isn’t the only thing you’ll need to consider. You’ll also need to think about petrol (gas) and parking. Like any major city, parking is difficult to find and expensive. As such, you can expect to pay €20 – €40 per night to park at most hotels in the city.